Ted Turner, the media maverick who revolutionized news broadcasting by founding CNN in 1980, died peacefully Wednesday at age 87, surrounded by family. The Ohio-born Atlanta businessman transformed television with his audacious vision for 24-hour news coverage, creating a global network now reaching over 2 billion people in 200 countries. Turner's "Chicken Noodle News" concept changed how the world consumes information.

Turner built an empire that began with taking over his family's billboard business at 24 following his father's suicide. He transformed Atlanta's Channel 17 into cable's first superstation, WTBS, before expanding to acquire sports teams including the Atlanta Braves. His media holdings eventually sold to Time Warner for $7.34 billion in 1996, cementing his status as a broadcasting pioneer whose technological innovations changed television distribution forever.

Beyond business, Turner dedicated himself to philanthropy, founding the United Nations Foundation and pledging $1 billion to the cause. His environmental activism included reintroducing bison to the American West and creating the "Captain Planet" cartoon. Despite living with Lewy body dementia in his later years, he remained proud of CNN, calling it the "greatest achievement" of his life.